News Releases
November 30, 2015

Former BBF President to Chair Metro Washington Airport Authority

Press Release

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board of directors elected William Shaw McDermott as its next chairman. McDermott will serve one-year term in office beginning in January 2016.

McDermott served on the BBF Board of Trustees from 2002-2010, and served as president from 2008-2010. He is also a member of the BBF’s Society of Fellows.

McDermott is an attorney and partner at K&L Gates, where he specializes in complex commercial, class actions, internal investigations and the defense of government enforcement actions litigation. During his 36 year career, he has prepared and tried cases in state and federal courts on a wide variety of subjects, primarily in civil matters. He served in leadership positions at Harvard teaching hospitals, Harvard medical faculty physicians and its School of Public Health. McDermott graduated from Harvard College, attended Oxford University and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia. He lives in Massachusetts and was appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Reagan National and Washington Dulles International airports together serve more than 40 million passengers a year. The Airports Authority generates more than 387,000 jobs in the National Capital Region.